Tracy Curley, CFO and interim CEO at iSpecimen Focusing on the macroeconomic environment, which remains impacted by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, there continues to be uncertainty about the strength of the global, Asia Pacific, UK and US economies. High-interest rates and a potential recession remain a concern for all market participants. At ISPC, we are closely monitoring the pace of specimen transactions. We believe that this industry can be resilient through a continued economic
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Drug Discovery | Pharma |News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Merck Invests in Gesund, Launches Medical AI Platform on AWS
What You Should Know: - Gesund, the company ensuring that medical artificial intelligence (AI) is safe and effective for all, today announced the securing of a strategic investment from Merck as well as a launch of a new commercial platform on Amazon Web Services Marketplace. - While terms of the investment are not being disclosed, the news signals support for the company's approach as it launches a first of its kind commercial platform on Amazon Web Services Marketplace, immediately
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Analysis: RSNA 2022: Predictions vs Reality
Much has already been written about attendance at RSNA, but from a first-hand perspective, RSNA 2022 could be regarded as a step back toward “normal”. Amongst mostly bustling halls, vendors reported very positive feedback on the volume and quality of customer meetings, with one prominent global imaging vendor citing “We’re signing deals here at the show again – things are looking up”. Against this positive backdrop, however, the stark challenges facing radiology in a post-COVID world were
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Vevo Launches with $12M to Scale Vivo Data Generation to Discover Better Drugs
What You Should Know: - Vevo Therapeutics, an SF-based biotechnology company, launched today with a $12M seed round led by General Catalyst and Wing Venture Capital using its Mosaic in vivo drug discovery platform and next-generation AI models to uncover better drugs for more patients. - Vevo is the first platform to make in vivo data generation scalable with single-cell precision + will create the world’s largest atlas of how drugs interact with patient cells. In a single in vivo
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AWS Launches Amazon Omics for Precision Medicine
What You Should Know: - AWS announced the launch of a new service, Amazon Omics, to help bioinformaticians, researchers, and scientists store, query, and analyze genomic, transcriptomic, and other omics data and generate insights to improve health and advance scientific discoveries. - The explosion of “omics” data, such as genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data, is driving a new understanding of biology at the molecular level. This, in combination with
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Quantum Algorithms for Healthcare
The field of computational life sciences can and should invest in the development of quantum algorithms today to take advantage of the near-term improvements and long-term transformational potential of quantum technology. Advancements in technology have always driven breakthroughs in medicine. Robert Hooke’s detailed drawings of cells relied on his compound microscope, and the development of the COVID-19 vaccine hinged on genetic research powered by computers. The arrival of quantum
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HLTH22 Day 2 News Summary: Amazon Clinic Launch, General Catalyst, Verizon, Higi
Amazon Launches Amazon Clinic Across 32 States Amazon launches Amazon Clinic, a virtual care option that will operate across 32 states that offers up-front pricing, and treatment within hours, instead of days—helping customers achieve better health. Welcome to easy-to-use, effective care for common health conditions. For customers, the cost of consultations will vary by provider and includes ongoing follow-up messages with their clinician for up to two weeks after the initial
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AI ‘s Role in Drug Discovery: Separating the Hype from the Hope
Forecasting the influence that artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning technologies will have on the future of healthcare has created a cottage industry in the hype. From the overzealous aspirations of IBM’s Watson Health initiative to the inclusion of AI on Gartner’s 2021 Hype Cycle at the “Peak of Inflated Expectations,” so much noise has been made around AI/machine learning in healthcare that it can be difficult to appreciate the current impact of these technologies on drug discovery,
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JPMorgan Establishes Life Sciences Private Equity Division
What You Should Know: - J.P. Morgan Asset Management announced the establishment of a new life sciences private equity team, Life Sciences Private Capital. - The new team will focus on investing in both early and growth-stage healthcare companies across multiple strategies aligned to specific market opportunities, with a focus on novel therapeutics and technologies in several target areas including Genetic Medicine, Oncology, Neurodegenerative Disease, Rare Diseases, Autoimmunity,
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The Gains and Pains of Using AI in the Pharmaceutical Industry
The costs for drug discovery and development are skyrocketing, but AI (artificial intelligence) is introducing new efficiencies to help find effective treatments faster. A study in 2020 concluded that the estimated median capitalized research and development cost per product was $985 million. Contributing factors to this included larger trial sizes, the need to assess health technology, the requirement to provide data on comparative drugs’ effectiveness, and most
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